Mail Call (odd number chapters)
by Gib
Summary: Answer to a fic prompt that turned into a round robin of sorts. A G.I. Jack and Mac piece of fluff.
1. Chapter 1

I apologize ahead of time. This is definitely not my usual shoot 'em up, in fact, there's no action whatsoever in this. Sorry about that, I wrote it and it kind of bums me out too. ;-)

This was the prompt from intepaz. " _I was wondering what Jack and the Delta boys would do if they realized Mac doesn't get any care packages from home."_

I normally don't really answer prompts because I'm not that imaginative, but this one seemed kind of doable.

MarenMary93 has really fleshed out my OC's from the G.I. Jack and Mac series, so, I asked if she wanted to jump on this with me and she accepted.

So, in a two person round robin, this is what we came up with.

I have written the odd number chapters and she has done the even number chapters. We will post these under our own pen names as essentially two seperate but connected stories, so you'll have to flip back and forth between chapters to keep up with the story.

As always, thanks to Dlwells51 for being awesome and taking a look at just about everything I write before I post it, fixing it and getting it back to me. She rocks!

Warnings: Not a darn thing.

0-0-0

Being a Special Forces operator had it's perks, and it's drawbacks. Most of the time, the unit wasn't saddled with the necessary but mundane task of routine patrols. They were the elite and were usually assigned to operations that were either extremely time sensitive, covert or had the potential to wreak havoc on the enemy.

They were given free rein in the way they chose to execute a mission and had the luxury of being able to dress and groom themselves as they saw fit.

Everyone knew who they were, but knowing why they were there, what they were doing or where they were going and for how long was highly classified.

It was a way of life, not really knowing exactly what the mission was until the last minute and not being able to tell anyone, including family... That was one of the drawbacks. So was getting mail.

The U.S. Army had become extremely efficient at delivering mail to the troops in a reasonable amount of time, just about as good as the U.S. Postal Service. Except when it came to the Spec. Ops. units.

While the packages were addressed to the men using their real names, the location was simply U.S. Army. Not even as much as Afghanistan was included in the address for the simple reason that the unit at any given point could be sent to any place in the world at any time if need be.

By the time the Army tracked down Jack and his men, the letters and care packages had passed through any number of bases back in the states, multiple exchanges in Afghanistan and eventually finally arriving at their intended destination, covered in enough writing and Army post master stamps, they would have made the worlds greatest taggers and graffiti artists envious.

The easiest person in Jack's unit to track down was Mac, he was "officially" still assigned to EOD and the change in location paperwork followed him everywhere, the only restrictions he was told he had when writing home was he couldn't say who he was working with or what he was doing. As it turned out, he didn't really have to worry too much as he never really sent anything home.

Unfortunately, when the base mail arrived, he usually didn't get much of anything. He would get an occasional package from his friend Bozer but having no family to speak of, he never expected to get anything really.

On mail day, Mac usually found something to do other than watch as everyone was excited to see what they got from home.

Jack, Box Coop, Pete and Dunc were usually more excited than he was to see if Mac had gotten any packages.

Bozer made the mistake of sending a batch of the dry ingredients to his 'world famous waffles' once, with the directions to 'just add water'. Of course, Bozer being Bozer didn't realize there was no WalMart or any other place in the entire country where Mac would have access to a waffle maker.

Mac appreciated the thought his childhood friend had put into the package, but was planning on discarding the mix. That is until he had to face five of the worlds deadliest guys looking at him _and_ his package like a pack of wolves looking at a side of beef.

Mac shrugged his shoulders, "You guys, we don't have a waffle maker."

Duncan sighed, "Man, we should have joined the Navy. Air conditioned ships, ice cream machines… the works." He waved an arm and left the group going off to sulk.

The rest of the men turned away and went to their separate ways, off to do whatever it was they did when they were bored, which, Mac learned very quickly, usually ended up with one of them needing stitches or running a covert op to acquire something they thought they just _had_ to have.

Mac smiled, sometimes these guys could pout like a bunch of twelve year olds, _and_ get in as much trouble.

Mac hadn't been with them long but he felt bad, knowing none of them had gotten their packages yet and didn't know when they would.

Mac placed the opened box on his bunk and started to formulate a plan.

0-0-0

Box, Coop, Pete and Duncan had had their fill of waffles, each coming up with some reason or another to excuse themselves from the makeshift outdoor dining room.

Jack leaned back, rocking his chair on the back legs and patted his stomach. "Mac, you have got to tell that friend of yours to keep the cake mix coming!"

Mac smiled, putting the last bite of his waffle in his mouth. "His name's Bozer and it's waffle mix Jack." He mumbled. "And you should try them with syrup."

Jack let out a small belch and blew it to the side, not bothering with so much as an 'excuse me'. "Man, even without syrup those things are delicious. Even if they were cooked on… what the hell did you make the waffle maker out of again?"

Mac let out a small chuckle and waved his hand, "You don't want to know."

Jack contemplated pushing the subject but he had enjoyed the waffles so much, he didn't want to ruin it by finding out what Mac had done to make it happen.

Mac set his plate to the side, and sighed contentedly. He rocked back in his chair, mimicking Jack's relaxed pose. "Bozer makes really good homemade whipped cream and blueberry sauce too."

Jack snorted, "Sounds great, one of these days I might just surprise you and show up on your doorstep. You'll have to introduce me to this Bozer character, is that a nickname?"

Mac smiled, "No, well, kind of, but, no. It's his last name. His first name is Wilt, everybody calls him Bozer, or Boze."

Jack's eyebrows raised, "Wilt huh? Well, tell him not to send any of that other stuff, it doesn't travel well, but he can send as much of that waffle mix as he wants."

Mac laughed, remembering the first time he was around when the Delta's mail had finally caught up to them, the idea of Bozer sending whipped cream and blueberry sauce wasn't something he wanted to experience.

0-0-0

It had been one of those missions that seemed to go on forever. It wasn't that it was very demanding, unless staying on a ridge top for a week while watching a village, waiting for a certain vehicle and man to show up that had possible ties to Al Qaeda was considered demanding.

As it turned out, the vehicle never showed and the mission was scrubbed.

When the operators got off the helicopter, Mac and Box met them at the edge of the helipad.

Box had been providing intel from the TOC and had brought Mac with him to get the kid acclimated to the process and elements that made a Delta mission happen.

"Well that was a colossal waste of time." Jack said removing his helmet to run a hand through his sweat soaked hair.

Pete simply waved a lazy hand in greeting, pulling his ear piece out and starting to undo his vest.

Coop slapped his hand back and forth across his thigh sending out clouds of dust with each pass. "What the hell Box, our guy was a no show."

Duncan just started to walk past the group, not bothering with joining the discussion.

Mac stood back, observing the group. He was still a bit of an outsider as far as he was concerned, even though they treated him like part of the team.

Box shrugged, "Sorry boys, we had every available air asset up looking, got nothing. Guy's either dead or he caught wind of something and is hunkered down somewhere. But hey, good news… Mail's here."

The new information was like someone had hit them with a jolt of electricity recharging their batteries.

Duncan turned stopping his anger fueled march back to the barracks, Jack and Coop's smiles beamed making their white teeth stand out as bright as the sun against the dirt, sweat and a week's worth of grime on their faces. And Pete well, Pete just looked happy.

Jack stepped forward and slapped Box on the back, "Well why the hell didn't you start with that!"

Jack looked at Mac smiling, wrapping a dirt covered arm around the kid's shoulder, pulling him along. "Come on Mac, let's go find out what kind of goodies await Uncle Sam's boys."

Mac crinkled his nose, resisting the urge to pinch it closed with his fingers.

Not having showered for a week and apparently being in a place that was less sand and more dirt, Jack was definitely on the far side of beyond stink.

Not wanting to offend his new companions, Mac occupied his mind with a new design for an air freshening system for the barracks.

Once they reached the barracks, the men were aware enough of their appearance and odor that they shed most of their gear outside, stripping down to the bare essentials which for them meant boots and pants.

As they were about to enter, Box stood at the top of the step in front of the door and held a hand out. "No way fellas, you are _not_ going in there smellin worse than old man Casper's pig farm on Texas day in August."

Mac had to hand it to the operator, he had guts. Standing between three very tired, very dirty, highly motivated to get to their mail… Operators, was right up there with disarming the world's most dangerous IED as far as Mac was concerned.

Jack stepped up to stand toe to toe with his fellow Texan, "Box, open the damn door." He said impatiently.

Box shook his head. "Not gonna happen Bubba, not until you boys agree to go in, grab new clothes, get out and go take a shower. Then and only then you can come back and we can open our stuff… deal?"

Jack turned glancing at Coop, Dunc, and Pete, each man giving the slightest of signals to the team leader. Having gathered and tabulated the non verbal vote, Jack stepped forward, "Alright Box, you win, shower then packages."

Box slammed his back against the door, splayed his arms out to the sides effectively blocking the entire entrance as Jack reached for the handle. "Give me your word Wyatt." He said suspiciously.

Jack's chin dropped to his chest, he sighed shaking his head, "Fine, you have my word we will be in and out, now open the damn door."

Box stepped to the side and held the door open with a Cheshire grin as all four men stomped inside glaring at him as they passed.

Box looked and Mac and winked. "That went better than I expected."

Mac smiled, "You are a brave man Box."

0-0-0

While the guys were gone, washing off what looked like half of Afghanistan, Box had Mac help him arrange the packages and letters around the room in a semi circle. Each stack of mail placed in front of a chair.

Mac had actually enjoyed setting everything up, getting the low down on what Box expected was in each package, speaking fondly as he did so. Mac had decided early on that Boxer was for all intents and purposes the mom of the group or the big brother if need be. He and Jack looked to be about the same age but where Jack was hot headed, Box was the voice of reason, dolling out advice in a low Texas drawl that usually diffused the high strung team leader.

Box held up a package addressed to Pete. "This is from his girl, she sends him all these different cards that says open if you're having a bad day, or open if you're sad, he shares most of 'em with us." He winked, "Except for the ones that say open if you're lonely. So far, no one's figured out where he keeps those and believe me, we've looked."

Box picked up a package for Duncan. "Gotta be more comics, or maybe books, hard to tell, he's got some friends back home that send him stuff."

Jack's pile was a simple one, two boxes and a letter. "The letter's from his sister, and there's no telling what old man Dalton sent but it's a sure bet it's something Jack can use on the job. Ma Dalton now, she sends some good stuff." He pointed at his own chair where a similar sized box was at. "You can bet she sent me pretty much the same except for a few things she knows I particularly like. I swear, if it were possible, I'd have her adopt me." His eyes gleamed with happiness.

There was one package that Mac knew they'd left outside, "Want me to go get the last one? it's outside." Box shook his head and held both hands up, palms forward. "Leave that one out, it's from Coop's grandmother. She's a sweet lady but has no concept of how the mail works, always sends some kind of food, bless her heart."

As Box stood back hands on his hips proudly surveying the arrangement, Mac heard the guys approaching the door, the shower and prospect of mail having done wonders for their dispositions.

0-0-0

Mac leaned against the wall as everyone took their seats. Jack looked up noticing for the first time the kid didn't have anything to open. He looked down at the packages he'd set between his feet, feeling a bit guilty for being so happy.

Duncan was the first to speak up. "Hey Mac, grab a chair man, come sit over here."

Mac looked down slightly embarrassed, "No, I'm good Dunc, you guys go ahead."

No one had touched a package yet as all eyes were on Mac. "Come on baby brother, have a seat. This is gonna take a while."

The corner of Mac's mouth twitched into a slight smile, Jack looked up at Mac, "Grab a seat kid, we ain't startin until you sit."

Mac relented, he didn't want to be the one to keep the festivities on hold. As he made his way to the space between Box and Duncan, Box smiled. "Alright, Dunc you call it."

Duncan rocked back, surveying the group as Box leaned toward Mac and whispered, "The first mail call we had as a group, you shoulda seen… Ole Wyatt had half his stuff spread out all over the floor before any of us could get so much as an envelope open. Which, if you don't mind me tellin ya, would make Ma Dalton box his ears if she found out. Dunc has been in charge of who goes first ever since. Said we should all watch the other guy open and see what he got. Says it makes the gifts last longer and everyone can appreciate it a bit more."

Mac understood the concept, and nodded. "Makes sense."

Duncan smiled, "Well, since he's waited so patiently, I think…" Dunc tapped his chin smiling at the eagerness in his friend's eyes. "Boss gets to go first, and keeping with the Texas theme, Box, your next. Coop, Pete, flip a coin, me an Mac will go last."

Mac's head snapped up, "Dunc, I don't…"

Dunc's eyes twinkled, "Don't worry about it, I already know what's in one of these, you can open it for me, deal?"

Mac smiled, still somewhat embarrassed but grateful at the gesture. "Deal."

Jack tore into the box he knew was from his dad, pulling out the simple note attached, he read it and smiled, pulling out a hard plastic gun case, flipping it open.

Box leaned over looking at the weapon and whistled, "Man, Senior went all out this time."

Coop remained seated but stretched his upper body as tall as he could to see. "What is it?"

Jack pulled the pistol out, releasing the empty clip and locking the slide open, hearing his father's words, _"Never assume a weapon is empty son, no matter what you think you know, always check to make sure it's clear._ " He held it up for everyone to see, smiling proudly. "H&K baby, that's what I'm talkin about!"

Mac didn't care for guns, but he found himself smiling at Jack's excitement.

Box nudged his friend, "What'd the note say?"

Jack in all his excitement had to dig into the box to find the note, when he did, he handed it to Box. The stocky Texan read it and let out a small laugh. Looking at the rest of the group, he read it out loud. _"Junior, figured you could use something better than that crap the Army issues. Stay safe son, and don't tell your mother... Dad."_

Box handed the note back to Jack who had placed the pistol back in the case. "Alright Box, your up buddy." Jack said wiping his eye with the palm of his hand.

Box smiled and picked up the medium sized box. "It's from Ma Dalton."

 ** _To Be Continued in chapter 2 by MarenMary93 under her pen name and listed as Mail Call Even Chapters._**

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this, we've got nine chapters for this little bit of fluff, look for chapter 3 from me coming soon.

-Gib-


	2. Part 3 Pete

**A/N This is the third part of the story. In case you missed part 2, it can be found at the story titled _Mail Call (even number chapters) by MarenMary93._**

 **As always a huge thanks to Dlwells51 for making this legible. Keep your eyes out for part 5, she's jumped in the mix and added her own awesome little bit to Mac's experience with the Delta boys. If you're missing some Mac angst (and in my opinion some Jack justified, Mac neck wringing eligible antics) check out her story _Force of Nature_.**

 **Yeah, I already know this one's short, sorry about that but Pete is the most normal stable guy of my bunch, so... not a lot to go on.**

 **PART 3 (Pete)**

0-0-0

Pete grinned as he saw he'd won the coin flip. "Sorry brother, you're just gonna have to wait."

Coop leaned back in his chair and shook his head, looking across the room toward Mac. "A word of advice kid, don't ever gamble with ole Pete here," he pointed at Jack, "Or that one, they cheat."

Pete just laughed while Jack put a hand on his chest feigning being wounded and leaned forward to look at Mac. "Don't listen to Too Tall over there, he just has no luck whatsoever when it comes to the finer points of a good old game of chance."

Mac smiled, he had been in the Boy Scouts for a very short amount of time and had belonged to a few groups at MIT, mostly for projects, but he'd never really been part of a club. Watching these men open their packages, inviting him into their world felt good. The longer it went on, the more comfortable he was becoming.

Pete held the package next to his ear, giving it a light shake. He grinned, setting it down and picked up another package, this one soft. He gave it a squeeze, trying to determine what it was.

"Just open one already." Box complained, "I swear Pete, you take more time inspecting your packages than you do your own gear."

Pete rolled his eyes, "Hey, it's my turn, I can go about it any way I please. Besides, that's part of the fun, trying to figure out what it is."

Duncan leaned over reading the address label. "It's from Becky." He announced with an eye roll.

"Books and more magazines." Coop said less than enthused.

"Cards." Jack said knowingly.

"Home improvement articles." Box added.

Pete shot a glare at the trio. "I happen to like the books and the cards. And, you never know, it might be something different." He said matter of factly, flipping his knife open, deliberately taking his time, carefully slicing the tape on the sides of the rectangular package, folding the knife and putting it back in his pocket.

Carefully opening the flaps, Pete smiled, reached into the box and pulled out a paperback. "Sweet! I've been waiting for this one." He flipped the book, silently reading the back cover.

Jack groaned, "Dude how can you read that stuff, don't get enough of the military life for real or what?"

Pet put the book down pulling a stack of greeting cards and post cards out of the box. "What can I say, Dale Brown writes some cool stuff. This Dreamland series is badass. I tell ya, if we had half the stuff they had, this place would be in our rear view."

Duncan leaned toward Pete, looking at the cards. "What'd she send this time?"

Pete untied the twine holding the cards together, shuffling through them. "Let's see, Having a bad day, not feeling well, tired, and uh…" Pete pulled the pink envelope out of the stack and stuffed it in his thigh pocket. "That one's personal." He looked up slightly blushing.

Box elbowed Mac, and nodded his chin toward Pete, who was digging through the box. "So uh, what kind of articles did she send this time?" He winked at Mac letting him in on the joke, Pete's box as they predicted having all of the things they'd guessed it did.

Pete pulled the stack of Magazine articles out of the box, each small stack consisted of a few pages paper clipped together, organized by room, post it notes stuck to each page.

"Well, we've got master bathroom, kitchen, a uh, walk-in closet and…" he held the pages up sideways, "…Looks like guest bedroom stuff."

Mac, didn't understand why the guys were snickering at Pete as he announced the topic of the articles. "Pete, are you planning on remodeling?"

His question apparently was some kind of joke he wasn't aware he'd made as everyone but Pete started laughing.

"Pete here doesn't even own a house," Coop said holding his stomach, trying to get the giggles under control.

"He rents an apartment that's smaller than that walk-in closet in the article." Duncan added wiping his eyes.

Pete rolled his eyes, "Becky and I are planning on buying some property and building a house eventually. We've been saving up and she sends me articles of the things she wants to include in the house."

Mac shrugged, "Sounds nice and a little pre-planning is a good idea." He looked around the room at the other team members, still not understanding what was so funny.

Box slapped Mac on the back and pointed at Pete. "Thing is Mac, he gets this stuff every time we get mail."

Duncan put a hand on Pete's shoulder, in mock sympathy, "If he builds everything she wants, this house they're pre-planning for… It's gonna be bigger than this whole damn base."

Pete shoved Duncan, and smiled embarrassed, "She does have a few grand ideas, I'll admit but once we really start building it'll all come together."

He pulled the last item out of the box smiling as he held up the packs of baby wipes. "That's my girl, always trying to make me comfortable." He said proudly.

Putting the items back in the box, he looked at Coop. "You're up big man."

 **0-0-0**

To be continued in chapter 2 (part 4) over at MarenMary93's story _Mail Call (even number chapters)_

Part 5 will be up tomorrow afternoon. Hope you enjoy.

-Gib-


	3. Part 5 Duncan

This is part 5 of the story, if you missed part 4, it can be found under MarenMary93's story _Mail Call (even number chapters)._

 **A huge shout out to Dlwells51 who added to this chapter.** **She is my go-to for all things Mac, and has thankfully taken me up on the offer to share her awesome talent, really adding Mac's voice to this bit of fluff.** **Most of the really good Mac bits, especially the end, were written by her, so if you like it drop her a line to let her know.**

0-0-0

Duncan smiled waving a casual hand toward Mac. "I'll let the kid open next, you guys already know what it is." The normally easy going African American swept a pointed finger around the group, glaring at each one of his teammates. "And don't you go ruinin the surprise."

Mac looked down at the package he held carefully in his lap. It was packaged in a padded envelope with tape all around the edges.

Mac noted the return address and looked up. "You're from Chicago?"

Duncan smiled, "Yep, Windy City and all that. Born and raised." He pointed at the package. That's from one of my foster brothers, Aaron. Good kid, going to college and everything." He said proudly. "Well junior college right now, but he want's to be an architect."

Mac leaned forward, "A lot of very successful people started in junior college." He held the package out toward Duncan, "If it's from your brother, you should be the one to open it."

Duncan smiled lightly pushing the package back toward Mac, "Nah, I already know what it is man, it's all good. Go for it."

Mac leaned back looked down at the package and back up again at a loss for words. "Thank you." Was all he could come up with as he reached into his pocked pulling out a Swiss Army knife.

Duncan was pleased to have given Mac something to open, also feeling slightly bad for embarrassing the young EOD tech. "Well, just because you open it doesn't mean you get to keep it you know." He said laughing lightly letting Mac off the hook.

The corner of Mac's mouth turned up as he opened the blade on the knife. "Well thanks anyway."

Mac laid the puffy package flat on his lap and carefully sliced open the end. He folded his knife and placed it back in his pocket before turning the package open end up giving it a slight squeeze, to widen the opening.

Mac peered inside and saw several thin magazines in protective plastic protective covers.

Duncan leaned over trying to peer into the opening. "Which one's did he send this time?"

Mac reached inside the opening and pulled out a stack of comic books. "Mac's eyebrows raised as he looked at Duncan. "Comics?"

Duncan beamed. "Hell ya, best stories out there man, good guys, bad guys, you know regular old American hero stuff."

"Dunc's been collecting comics since well… since as long as I've known him." Coop chimed in.

Mac set the empty envelope on the floor shuffling through the comics. "Well, you've got um… All Star Superman." Mac held it up so everyone could see the cover then placed it under the stack, picking up the next comic.

"Batman, Club of Heroes, uh… World War Hulk?" Mac asked confused. "Isn't the Hulk a good guy?"

Duncan smiled, "It's hard to explain, you probably watched the cartoons right?"

Mac shook his head. "Not really, but I've heard of most of these, and the Hulk was some kind of scientist right?"

Duncan scoffed, "Dude, we have _got_ to educate you on the world of super heroes man."

Pete laughed, "Watch out Mac, once he gets going, plan on being immersed into the world of some really bizarre stuff."

"I still can't believe they shot Captain America." Jack added angrily. "The dude's a freakin American Hero, I mean, come on man, he's Captain freaking America for Christ sake."

Duncan rolled his eyes taking the stack from Mac flipping through the rest of the comics. "Boss, I keep telling you, don't worry about it, it's all part of the plan, there's no way they can kill Captain America."

Jack leaned back in his chair lips pursed shaking his head. "Well, it's still messed up, next thing you know, they'll be killing off Batman and the freakin Punisher."

"I like the Lone Ranger, get any new ones Dunc?" Box asked finally joining the discussion while saving the group from a Jack Dalton comic book hero rant. Even though they were comic book characters, Jack acted like they were his men, getting angry when the hero got hurt.

Duncan flipped through the stack. "Yep, got a new one, looks good."

Box smiled, "Tonto is a badass."

Coop not one to be left out, asked, "Any new Thor?"

Dunc shook his head, "Sorry man, not this time. I got X-men though." Coop shrugged, "Better than nothin I guess."

Mac smiled shifting his eyes to each of the men. He would have never imagined a group of guys that basically did what Mac considered, some _real_ super hero stuff, would be interested in comic books. "Pete, what's your favorite comic?" He asked figuring the Medic probably had a favorite one too.

Pete shrugged, "I don't know, I never really got into them. He held up his new paperback and smiled mischievously, "Unlike some other adults I know, I prefer _actual_ books."

At Pete's comment, the room turned into a virtual free fire zone with Pete being the target of wadded up paper and packing materials which he bravely defended himself against by turning sideways, knees drawn up, hiding his wide grin behind his raised arm.

When all available ammunitions had been exhausted, he laughed and shook his head, adjusting himself in the chair to a more respectable position for a trained Delta operator, feet on the floor, shoulders square and hands ready to defend himself against a wayward paper projectile.

Duncan placed the comics at his feet and picked up the medium sized box he'd set down. "Alright, my turn." He held the box up, knowing who it was from but glanced at the label once again. "It's from my two youngest sisters, and Miss Waters."

Mac was confused, Duncan had said the package he'd opened was from Dunc's foster brother, "How many siblings do you have Dunc?"

Duncan pulled the razor sharp knife from his boot, slicing open the end of the box, "Well, I've got…" He looked up at the ceiling and cocked his head to the side nodding slightly as he counted silently, finally giving a single head nod, obviously tallying the figure. "Eighteen total over the years, but four I'm really close with, all foster kids, and Miss Waters is the closest thing to a Mom I got, you never met such a caring woman Mac, I tell ya, when I ended up at her place I was right on the edge of gettin mixed in with the wrong crowd." Duncan shrugged, "That woman set me straight, had a helluva time doin it but look at me now." He spread his arms wide, "Still ended up in a gang but now I get to shoot guns for a living." He smiled at the irony.

Duncan held a hand under the open end of the box and upended it. An assorted rainbow of colored cards, papers and photos fell into his hand.

He gave the box a shake and looked inside, making sure he didn't miss anything, before discarding the box.

He flipped through the stack, smiling as he opened a hand made drawing. Setting the stack aside, he held the drawing taking in every crayon scribbled detail.

"Well, what color are we this time?" Box asked elbowing Mac pointing toward Duncan. "His niece just discovered crayons not too long ago. Amazing how kids see the world."

Dunc held the drawing up so everyone could see. "She's got a whole scene this time. Apparently there are pyramids here and either a big dog with three legs or maybe a camel, hard to tell. Sis must've tried to explain what a desert is." He flipped the drawing around to look at it, "Well, she's getting closer," He looked up imagining what his friends would look like in real life if they were the color his niece envisioned them and laughed. "You're all pink apparently, and I'm uh…" He scrutinized the drawing closer, squinting. "I think she used brown and black this time for me. Almost got the cammo right and she's writing her name a bit better." He held the drawings so they could see it again.

Mac watched as the group of tough Delta operators smiled, rich heartfelt smiles that reached their eyes. "She got the L's the right way this time, getting better." Jack said, with the same encouraging tone he used for inexperienced soldier's they sometimes encountered when working with regular Army units.

"How old is…" Mac leaned forward to read the name, "Jill?"

"Short for Jillian, she just turned four, like a mini princess, got her mom wrapped around her little finger, that one." Duncan carefully laid the picture to the side smiling fondly.

"Mom ain't the only one." Box laughed, "She's got Uncle Dunc's number, that's for sure."

The men laughed, knowing Duncan sent most of his siblings the majority of his income, always putting a little something extra in for little Jill's mom to buy his niece something nice.

Dunc shuffled through the stack of papers finding several photos, picking one out he handed it to Mac. "That's Jill right there, isn't she cute?"

Mac chuckled, the photo was of two women and a small child, the fact Duncan pointed out which one was Jill, made him realize how much the man cared for the little girl. "She is cute. Are they still in Chicago?"

Duncan nodded, "Yeah, but they're in a nice area, good schools, not a lot of crime. As soon as we found out Steph, she's the one on the right, was pregnant, I found them a nice little place away from all the crap."

Duncan dug out another picture and his smile grew wider. "This here's Mis Water's." He handed the photo to Mac.

Mac took the photo and studied it. A large African American woman was standing in front of a nice looking cottage style home, an American flag and an Army flag flying on either side of the front door and a blue star flag in the window. She held a sign that read, "Missing You!"

Mac handed the photo back to Duncan, "She looks very proud."

Duncan smiled fondly, studying the photo. "She is, she's proud of most of her kids," He looked up, his face turned serious. "Had a few that just didn't make it but it wasn't for her lack of trying, that's for damn sure."

Duncan pulled a folded note from the stack and opened it. He let a small laugh escape his lips as he quickly read the letter before sharing it with the group. They may be friends but sometimes the things his foster mother talked about just didn't need to be shared with the group. He usually skipped over those parts but if it took up the majority of her letter, he'd tell them it was classified, 'eyes only.'

Duncan cleared his throat, "She says she hopes we're all doing well and that we are staying safe and…" He tried to make out the next word, and looked up, "Her hands are starting to shake a bit so some of her writing gets a little hard to read." He added with a note of sadness. "Oh," He said finally deciphering her writing, "Says she hopes we're staying cool and that we don't have to go out in this heat." He held the letter, letting his hand drop to his lap and laughed lightly at the smiles from his team mates. "She doesn't really know a lot about the Army, still thinks all we do is march and chant when we're not going out helping people."

Duncan picked the letter back up to continue, "Says Aaron made the dean's list!" The pride in the operators voice was evident. As he scanned the rest of the letter, he summarized, "Jill is learning how to ride her new trike, oh, and got the big box of Crayons and more paper and wants to know all about the desert now that Stephanie explained where I was at, she goes on about some of the stuff she's had fixed around the house, put new tires on the car, watching the Johnson kids while their parents are on a work trip." Duncan wiped the corner of his eye, "She says she loves all of us and wants a new picture, one with no guns apparently because Jill needs new portrait material." Dunc smiled and folded the letter, looking at the knowing looks from his teammates.

Duncan was usually the quietest of the bunch, seeming to never let things get to him but when it came to family, the man wore his heart on his sleeve. They'd all gotten letters from home that made them homesick to a certain degree, but for Duncan, it always affected him the most.

Mac shook his head ruefully. Sitting and watching everyone enjoy their letters and gifts from loved ones was quite an experience. He had almost not been able to do it.

When he first sat down at their insistence he had felt extreme discomfort. He hadn't given much thought to it before today. He had enjoyed receiving letters from his friend Bozer and really appreciated a package on occasion. But it wasn't something he expected or let himself hope for. You don't miss something you've never had, so it hadn't occurred to him before now it was something he should look forward to regularly, or miss when it didn't come.

Looking around at the men around him, each with packages and letters waiting for their turn to share the pieces of home they had each received was a whole new experience for him. He wasn't prepared. He felt his heart beating faster and he had to concentrate hard to stay in focus. He really wanted to bolt. But he knew he had to resist that urge. He was really fond of these soldiers, was beginning to think of them as more than just men he could understand and work with on a day to day basis. He was beginning to feel actual acceptance and affection for each one of them, and from them. They treated him like no other soldiers had previously, like he belonged with them.

He fought to control his pounding heart and quickening breaths. Having a panic attack in front of them would not go over well. I can do this, he thought desperately. Focus on what they are saying, breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. His heart began to slow and the swirling chaotic thoughts in his head lessened. He forced himself to concentrate instead of what was in his mind, on what his comrades were doing and saying.

He could feel their joy and excitement, and he consciously reached for it like a life line. He had felt an all consuming ache suddenly grow in his chest and it had appeared so suddenly he had almost gasped out loud before he could stop himself. Now, seeing their feelings flowing so freely to and from and through each other he forced himself to concentrate on what effect they were having on him as well.

Instead of the dark cold emptiness of the ache, he felt warmth and light. Paying strict attention to what they were saying, forcing himself to ask for more details was like building a whole platform to stand on to steady himself. Seeing the photos, watching their reactions, he marveled at the depth of happiness and comfort he was himself feeling. He felt each man's pain and homesickness, recognised the same feelings in himself and absorbed it all memorizing it for further more thorough consideration later. Right now he just immersed himself in it.

He watched as Dunc put the letter in his pant pocket. Watched him sniffing and wiping his nose, and then look at Jack. "Alright Boss, round two, you're up." Mac smiled and braced himself for more.

 **0-0-0**

To be continued in part 6 in MarenMary93's _Mail Call (even number chapters)_ her internet access has been limited lately, so when she does have time, it will be up. I will post part 7 tomorrow afternoon as long as MM93 can post part 6, thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed.

-Gib-


	4. Part 7 Boxer's second

Thank you all for the reviews, favorites and follows. It's such fun to see what you guys think of these guys. Almost more fun that writing them. ;-)

 **If you haven't read it yet, check out part 6 from MarenMary93's _Mail Call (even number chapters)_ before reading this part.**

As always, thanks to Dlwells51 for fixing my mistakes and making my stuff that much more betterer. Lol she doesn't get to correct my A/N's *wink*

And again, thanks so much to MarenMary93 for everything. See ending A/N's.

0-0-0

Boxer lightly shook the large cardboard box, Mac's keen hearing determined it was probably some type of tin with maybe nuts or some other treat and a slightly muffled sound he couldn't quite make out, _packing peanuts maybe?_ He thought as the stocky man whipped out his knife, slicing the tape off of the top of the box that was on the floor between his legs.

Boxer grinned. "Ma and Pa always send goodies." He shrugged, "Well my mom does anyway. No tellin if my old man will send something or not."

As he folded open the top of the box, he saw the tissue and looked at Jack. "Mom packed it."

That simple statement made both men grin, knowing there was some type of sweet treat in the box.

Box carefully pulled the tissue paper back to reveal a large round tin on the top of a stack of what looked like vacuum sealed packages and another tin. "Got a little bit of everything in this one looks like." He grinned, pulled the round tin out, reading the top of the lid. "Moose Munch! Hell yeah boys, you haven't lived until you try this stuff, got the two pounder too!"

Mac's brow furrowed, "Is it cookies?"

Boxer shook his head. "Better."

"You keep shaking things it's going to be crumbs by the time you open it." Jack said leaning over trying to look at the rest of the items in the box.

Boxer send him an annoyed look. "My Ma knows me man, she doesn't send anything I can't shake."

"What is it?" Mac asked still curious.

Boxer popped the lid off the tin and pulled out one of what looked like a dozen individually packaged packs. "It's only the best gourmet popcorn." He tossed the pack toward Mac. "Open her up, pass it around. They got caramel, chocolate that doesn't melt somehow, kettle corn…" He said digging through the tin container.

Mac turned the clear plastic packet in his hands, inspecting the contents. "The chocolate doesn't melt probably because it's technically not really chocolate. It's probably got…" Mac didn't get to finish as Boxer reached out and snatched the packet from Mac's hands, quickly pulling the top open and handed it back to the young man. "I don't care why, I just know it's good, try eatin some instead of analyzing it kid."

Mac smiled embarrassed and took a few kernels passing the packet toward Duncan.

Boxer waited expectantly for Mac's reaction. "Well?"

Mac shrugged, "It's good."

Box threw his head back and looked at Jack. "It's good he says, kid wouldn't know good food if it bit him."

Jack shrugged, "He's from California Box, it's all about sushi and vegetables out there."

Coop snorted. "You Texas guys don't know squat about California man." He added shoving a handful of the popcorn in his mouth. "We got all kinds of food." He mumbled with his mouth full.

By the time the small package made it back to Boxer, there was nothing left but crumbs. He sent an annoyed look toward Jack and held the slightly empty plastic bag upside down, collecting the crumbs.

Jack smiled, cheeks puffed out. "What?" He pointed toward the container. "You've got more left."

"Don't talk with your mouth full you hick." Box teased, setting the popcorn tin to the side. He reached into the box and pulled out a stack of vacuum sealed packages of beef jerky. Flipping through the stack, his face scrunched up. "Rattlesnake?" He held the package up, "Where in the world do you suppose my Ma got rattlesnake jerky from?"

Jack shook his head, "Probably came from your dad, you know how your mom feels about snakes."

Boxer laughed looking at the rest of the variety of jerky packs. "Sweet, got elk and venison."

Pete perked up at the announcement, "I never would have thought I'd like elk but damn if that stuff isn't good."

Box held the pack to his chest protectively. "I ain't sharin this one, last time you sons of bitches left one tiny piece." He said accusingly.

Duncan laid the comic he was reading down in his lap. "Well, what'd you expect passing that stuff around? Goes better with hot sauce though."

Boxer pointed an accusing finger at him. "You think everything goes better with hot sauce. It's a damn waste if you ask me, ruining perfectly good jerky with that stuff."

Duncan scoffed waving a dismissive hand, "Whatever dude, just because you and Jack have no taste, and iron guts doesn't mean the shit you two think of as food actually tastes good."

"Hey now, how'd I get drug into this?" Jack complained.

Pete laughed, "Jesus Jack, you and Box are practically twins."

"A really bad version of twins but twins just the same." Duncan added.

Jack laughed, "Yeah well, I already have a twin and Box is like my brother from another mother, or the brother I never wanted." He teased, shoving Box with his forearm. "What else you got in that care package brother Box?"

Boxer leaned back, stretching his shoulders before clapping his hands together in anticipation. "Well let's see brother Jack."

Coop, Pete and Dunc all rolled their eyes. "Great, this is gonna be a thing right?" Duncan added.

Box reached in and pulled out a brown butcher paper wrapped package that was secured with twine. "Gotta be from pop."

Jack nodded, "If I had to guess, whatever it is he got from Wharton's department store. They been wrappin stuff the old fashioned way since as long as I can remember."

Box pulled the twine bow, unfolded the paper wrapping and laughed. "Yep, definitely from my old man." He held up four pairs of O.D. green socks, a short laugh escaping his lips.

Box set the socks on top of the packs of jerky and reached into the bottom of the box. He pulled out an envelope with a wax seal on the back. "Got my ma's handwriting."

Box opened the envelope and pulled out a folded piece of old style stationary. "She always does like the homemade paper." Box opened the fold, another tightly folded paper fell out onto the floor. Box picked it up and opened it, confusion on his face as he looked at it.

When he didn't say anything, Jack's heart rate increased. His friend wasn't the silent type and it was starting to freak him out, watching Boxer become speechless. "What's it say?"

Box picked up the stationary, flipping it open with a finger while blindly handing Jack the other paper.

Jack looked at the what he assumed was a copy and looked up at his friend. "Are they serious?"

Box having finished the letter simply nodded. "Yep, Ma says since I'm not going to take over the family business, they sold the north west section, made some good money and that piece of paper you got in your hand there is the deed to the ranch... Well a copy of the deed anyway."

Jack leaned back scrubbing a hand through his hair. "Jesus, what are they gonna do?"

Mac watched intently along with the other's as Box cleared his throat and held the letter up to read to the group.

 _My Dearest Son,_

 _I hope this letter finds you well and that you and Jack are taking care of yourselves and the other men in your unit. As you'll notice, I have included with this letter a copy of the deed to the ranch. We have decided that even though you are not going to be out of the Army for quite some time, we thought it best to place the ranch in your name._

 _Your father and I have been thinking about this for quite some time. More accurately, I have been thinking about this since you joined the Army. As you know, your father was rather disappointed to find out you did not have any immediate plans to take over the ranch and all of its operations, but he has come to understand your need to live your own life._

 _He will never admit it openly to you, but he is very proud of you son. You should see him at church when people ask about you. He is very proud of you and brags about you to anyone that will listen._

Boxer looked up embarrassed, expecting to be teased endlessly by his friends. Instead, he was met with knowing smiles and kind eyes.

Jack nudged his foot with his boot. "What else?"

Box wiped his eye, picking the letter up and continued.

 _We are not getting any younger and before I leave this earth I want to travel to see the world. After some convincing, your father agreed._

Jack snorted, "As tough as your old man is, the one person he could never say no to is your mother."

"Damn straight." Box agreed.

 _We had an opportunity to sell the two north west sections and well, we did. Your father said the sections were his least favorite anyway, as they're the farthest from the house and the well has been acting up. Without going into too many details, we got a fair price for the sections and are planning on taking a trip to Europe first. That was my idea, which I must say took a bit of convincing to get your father to go. His only demand is that we do not go to Germany. He said he'd had enough of that country in his Army days._ _I told him in no uncertain terms would we go all the way to Europe and skip an entire country. We are still discussing that part of the trip._

Boxer laughed, "I already know who's going to win that argument, and my old man probably thinks the wall is still up. Anyway, she goes on to talk about ranch stuff and what happened at the last bake sale and pancake breakfast they did for the volunteer fire department, that's pretty much it."

Jack slapped Box on the back, "Congratulations brother, you're a freakin rancher!"

"How big is a section?" Mac asked curiously, already tabulating the amount of money with the current exchange rate it would take to travel and stay in Europe.

"A section is 640 acres." Box answered. The two sections they sold used to be pretty good grazing but once the well started to go, my old man didn't want to spend the money to dig a new one. The property has been pretty much untouched for the last couple of years."

Coop whistled, "That's like over twelve hundred acres, how freaking big is the ranch?"

Boxer shrugged, "A little over four thousand useable acres. Got another couple hundred that we haven't been able to do anything with."

"Damn Box, congratulations man, now what are you gonna do?" Duncan asked.

Box shrugged, "I don't know, have to make sure someone's there to take care of the place while my parents are out touring the world I guess."

Jack laughed, "Box, buddy, you think there's a snowballs chance in hell your old man would leave the ranch and not already have every one of the hands squared away dude?"

Box smiled, "Yeah, you're right, I'll bet he's got everybody in the county lookin after the place already."

He pointed at Pete, "You got anything else to open Pete?"

 **0-0-0**

To be continued in part 8 of MarenMary93's _Mail Call (even number chapters)_ Part 9 is the last part of this story and will be posted after MarenMary93's part 8 which as of this moment has an unknown ETA, RL and intermittent internet access will play a part. So, just be patient with us, it's coming eventually, no worries. ;-)

I hope you enjoyed this, I've had quite a few people comment on how real these guys seem. I can't take the credit for that. Yes, I write them but a while back, MM93 started messenging me asking me all sorts of questions about my characters. Through her questions, we started rapid firing back and forth their likes dislikes, backgrounds looks, just about everything you could possibly think of, these guys really got fleshed out. So, thank you MM93, if it weren't for you they'd still be faceless talking heads in my mind. It's been such a blast bringing these guys to life.

-Gib-


	5. Part 9 Final chapter

**Thank you to all those that have reviewed, followed and favorited, and thanks for waiting. A huge shout out to MarenMary93 for taking time from her RL stuff to get part 8 of this story posted. Which, if you haven't read that yet, Go to her story _Mail Call (even number chapters)_ and read part 8 before this one. **

**This is the final chapter of the story, and once again, Dlwells51 has given Mac his voice in this. She really gets him, so all the good Mac parts belong to Dl. Send her a PM if you like this. You guys have no idea what my stuff looks like before Dl gets her hands on it. She translates my descriptions, knowing what I'm trying to say and fixes it with just the right words. Her vocabulary knowledge still kicks my ass in wordchums. ;-)**

 **intepaz, I hope this does the trick for your prompt.**

 **Longer A/N's at the end.**

0-0-0

And so it went. Every few months, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer, the unit would gather together and open their care packages. Jack would always get something useful from his father, something to remind him of home from his mom, a new pack of disposable razors with the same note that said please use these, and a few snacks his mother knew he would enjoy.

Box would get his beloved jerky. Thankful that his mom and dad didn't send any more rattlesnake jerky, which, despite his feelings on the subject, had taken Duncan up on his offer to use some of his hot sauce.

Boxer would never admit it to his teammate but the hot sauce did make the rattlesnake jerky more palatable.

Mr. And Mrs. Boxer included in their packages a stack of postcards with scenes from their latest travels, including quite a few from Germany.

Duncan received more comics, packs of various hot sauce and enough crayon and pencil drawings to wall paper his small corner of the barracks.

His foster brother, as a joke had started to send romance novels along with the comics, saying that they might help with the loneliness of Army life. Which of course, he never heard the end of from his colleagues after they'd discovered he was disguising the romance novel covers with covers from some of Pete's more worn out military or sci-fi books in order to get some reading done in public.

Cooper, who had claimed that _romance wasn't his thing,_ would, on occasion, pick up one of the romance novels by accident, and be so engrossed in the story, he would disappear for hours on end during their down time. When he was caught putting one of the novels away, he said since he'd spent so much time reading the beginning of the story, he figured he might as well finish the book. But, _romance still wasn't his thing_.

Pete continued to receive home improvement articles, pictures of family and the latest books from his favorite authors, along with a new stack of greeting cards for any and all occasions Becky thought might come up.

No one ever found Pete's stash of " _For when you get lonely"_ cards, and it definitely wasn't for lack of trying.

When the guys were especially bored, they made looking for the cards their priority mission under the guise of cleaning the barracks.

Boxer was the most determined of the bunch, usually using Mac as a look-out while he searched. Just the thought of what could possibly be in the cards made Mac blush.

Coop continued to get packages from his loving grandmother, bless her heart, and they continued to draw cards to see who the unlucky man was that got to open the mystery package. When Mac had drawn the low card, having come up with a plan months in advance, he excused himself, promising he would be right back. True to his word, he returned ten minutes later with a face splitting grin, holding a remote control, with an EOD robot trailing behind.

On one occasion, Coop was pleasantly surprised to find the inside of the package wasn't moldy, or slimy and didn't put off an odor that could make the most iron willed combat vet want to vomit. Instead, he pulled out a Marius sweater with a note that read " _In case you get cold."_ He actually put the sweater on and had the guys take a picture to send back to his grandmother thanking her for the gift saying it would come in handy one day.

He had a complete stash of bubble gum to go along with the sweets his parents sent.

0-0-0

After that first time Mac had participated in the group's mail call tradition, Jack had pulled the operators aside one day, asking if they'd noticed that Mac never received anything other than the occasional package from his friend Bozer when the regular mail arrived. And while Jack loved the world famous waffle mix, he felt bad for the kid, having him sit there while they opened packages from family. They had waited a while, thinking Mac would receive something from home other than from Bozer, but he never did.

One night, after a particularly long mission, Jack couldn't sleep. He took out his notebook and began to put together a plan. He waited until he knew the young EOD tech had fallen asleep and stealthily crept through the barracks. He carefully woke each of his men, using long practiced hand signals to keep them quiet and direct them outside. Not an easy thing to do, considering what a light sleeper Mac was.

None of the men had known exactly why Jack had woken them or his need for stealth, and considering their current location, they'd figured the worst and had armed themselves appropriately.

Each man in various states of dress had piled out of the barracks armed to the teeth, looking for the enemy. Boxer had donned his helmet, Duncan was wearing his vest, Pete had at least put his shirt on and Coop, well, Coop was crouched, holding his rifle in nothing but his boxers and flip flops. Jack took in their appearance and shook his head. Before they could fan out, Jack stopped them with a light laugh. "Stand down boys, at ease." He whispered, not wanting to take a chance to wake Mac.

At their confused and somewhat annoyed looks, Jack had explained the reason for the impromptu meeting, which had the desired affect as the men smiled and relaxed.

In true Army fashion, the meeting was held like a mission brief, Jack laid out the outline and the end goal while each man offered their own ideas that would contribute to mission success. Everyone agreed that since they didn't really know the young man's likes and dislikes, intel was the highest priority. Jack assigned each operator with a different category, and with the plan in place, they all returned to the barracks and slept through the night.

The next day the intel gathering portion of what they had named "Operation Don't Blow It," was a go.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, It had taken every bit of their special ops training to subtly find out what Mac's likes and dislikes were before they put the actionable portion of the operation into motion.

With as much intel as they could gather about the young man, right down to his underwear size and the kind of toothpaste he preferred, the five Delta operators each sent a letter home, complete with the operator's equivalent of an intel packet, explaining that they had a young EOD tech with them that didn't have any family to speak of, and only received the occasional package from a childhood friend.

0-0-0

In the months that followed, they had been on a non-stop mission schedule, only returning to the base long enough to sleep for a few hours, get some hot food and re-arm before they were sent back out again. Everyone had forgotten about the letters.

Finally, the back to back missions came to an end. When the weary, worn out dust covered bunch returned to the barracks, they were greeted by a stack of boxes and packages neatly arranged inside the barracks. It was a well timed event that gave them all a much deserved boost.

Mac knew at a glance there was nothing in the piles for him. Bozer always sent his packages in brightly colored boxes. He suppressed a sigh and retreated to his room to grab a fresh set of clothes, planning on heading to the showers. Not that he didn't thoroughly enjoy watching his friends going through their ritual. Learning so much about each man and his family and background had been a whole new experience for him. It was almost like he had become a member of a big loving family. Almost. The recent string of missions had been really rough on all of them and Mac couldn't remember a time he had felt so exhausted. He just didn't think he could muster up the energy to participate this time. He was just too tired to put in the effort today.

As he was almost to the door, on his way to the shower, he was stopped by Jack's call.

Mac turned, facing the group in their usual semi circle arrangement with packages stacked in front of them.

"Jack I really need to take a shower, you guys just go ahead without me." He said waving tiredly, turning for the door.

Jack stood up and in his most serious commanding officer tone said, "Specialist! You _will_ partake in this unit's mail call tradition and that's an order soldier! Now, front and center!"

Mac was taken back at the team leader's tone, he knew they took their traditions seriously but he'd never expected to be ordered to sit and watch the festivities.

As Mac shuffled toward his usual spot between Box and Duncan, he noticed a stack of boxes varying in size sitting on his chair. He looked at Box and Duncan thinking things couldn't possibly get any worse, having to ask the men to move their packages so he could sit down and watch them open what was obviously some type of special occasion considering the number of packages just added to his depression.

As he passed, Jack smiled and winked. "Sargent Duncan!"

Duncan snapped to attention, "Sir!"

"Sargent Duncan, who in this bunch of misfits do you suppose should go first today and get this fine tradition started?"

Duncan remained at attention, trying to hide his smile, "Sir, I believe a certain EOD tech should be the one to start considering he does have the most packages sir."

Mac looked at Duncan confused and looked down at the packages. The surprise on his face when he read the name on the address label made everyone in the room smile.

Boxer picked up the stack of packages and patted the chair. "Have a seat Mac, you got yourself quite the haul here son."

Mac sat, still stunned, as Boxer set the packages in front of the young man. "But I…" Mac started but suddenly couldn't find his voice as he picked up the first package.

His eyes started to water as he looked up at Jack. "This is from your parents, but it's addressed to me?"

Jack grinned, "Don't worry, I told mom you didn't need any razors cuz that face of yours couldn't grow anything but peach fuzz anyway." He teased, wiping the corner of his eye.

Mac looked down at the next box. "Coop, this one's from your family?"

Coop nodded, "Don't worry little brother, I told my family not to let grandma send you any food."

Mac looked around the group, "I don't understand, this is… This is, they didn't have to do this."

Duncan put a hand on Mac's shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. "Your right, they didn't, but you're family kid," He smiled and winked. "Whether you like it or not."

Jack stood up and handed Mac a small box. "This one's from all of us, didn't have time to really grab anything, but we figured you could maybe use 'em for whatever." He shrugged, as he handed Mac a box of paperclips.

Mac took the box and laughed as he opened it. "You're right, I can." He said, pulling out a single paperclip, and began to twist it between his nimble fingers and looked at Duncan. "Alright Dunc, who's next?"

Duncan laughed, "Dude, you're up."

Mac shook the box of paperclips. "I just opened."

Pete laughed, "Mac, a box of paperclips doesn't count man, go ahead, open the one from Becky, you're gonna love it if it's what I think it is."

Mac shook his head, "I'm good Pete, and this isn't just a box of paperclips," He held the small box and shook it making it rattle and smiled at the sound. He dropped his head and said quietly, "It's so much more."

 **THE END**

A/N: So there it is, I really hope you enjoyed this. I had a blast getting together with MarenMary93, going back and forth through messenger and PM's, giggling as we decided what the guys would get, their families and all the other background stuff I would have never thought of if it weren't for her. Thank you so much MM for taking such an interest in these guys and getting them fleshed out, making me think way beyond the guns and ammo, and going along with the idea of this round robin. You have no idea how much fun I had with this, it's been an awesome ride. Thank you my friend!

Dlwells51, what can I say other than thank you so much! You are an amazing writer, beta and good friend. When I say write Mac and change anything you want to, I really do mean it and absolutely love everything you do. You channel Mac like no one else and always seem to come up with just the right words. You are a special person and I can't thank you enough.

To everyone that reviewed, followed, favorited or just read and enjoyed, thanks. I have no idea when I'll write another story, I do have an idea or two but, as of Saturday, I'll be without internet or cell service. Headed to Wyoming on a cattle drive, so unless I can find an internet calfé *grin* I'm going to disappear from FF for a while. Can't wait to see what ya'll have come up with while I'm gone. Have a great summer!

-Gib-


End file.
